New Delhi: The Union Government today announced that it has released XV Finance Commission (XV FC) Grants during the Financial Year 2025–26 to strengthen Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) in Gujarat and Haryana. In Gujarat, the second installment of Untied Grants for the Financial Year 2024–25, amounting to ₹522.20 crore, has been released for all 38 District Panchayats, 247 eligible Block Panchayats, and 14,547 eligible Gram Panchayats of the state. Further, ₹13.5989 crore of the withheld portion of the first installment of Untied Grants for FY 2024–25 has also been released to an additional 6 District Panchayats, 5 Block Panchayats, and 78 Gram Panchayats.

For the state of Haryana, the Union Government has released the first installment of Untied Grants for FY 2025–26, amounting to ₹195.129 crore, for 18 District Panchayats, 134 eligible Block Panchayats, and 6,164 Gram Panchayats of the state.

The Government of India, through the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation), recommends the release of XV-FC Grants to states for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) / Rural Local Bodies, which are then released by the Ministry of Finance. The allocated grants are recommended and released in two installments in a financial year.

The Untied Grants will be utilized by PRIs/RLBs for location-specific needs under the Twenty-Nine (29) Subjects enshrined in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, except for salaries and other establishment costs. The Tied Grants can be used for the basic services of (a) sanitation and maintenance of ODF status, including management and treatment of household waste, and human excreta and fecal sludge management in particular, and (b) supply of drinking water, rainwater harvesting, and water recycling. DeshGujarat